Norway Still Tesla’s No.1 European Market, Mostly Thanks To A Rental Company

Tesla Motors’ success in Norway is well documented over the past few years, as electric cars there enjoy some very generous incentives. Tesla sold 8,614 units in Norway during 2018, making the Scandinavian country the company’s No.1 European market.

Netherlands came a very close second, with 8,585 Teslas sold there during 2018. That’s fewer than 100 cars between the two countries. Norway’s lead was reportedly helped by Tesla’s delivery of around 280 Model S and Model X vehicles to Avis.

According to a report from the Norwegian Gjengangeren, Avis took delivery of its new Tesla fleet in Skoppum, a town south of Oslo.

Almost a third of new cars sold in Norway during 2018 were battery-electric vehicles, setting a new record for the country. More specifically, EVs accounted for 31.2 percent of the 194,200 cars sold during the year (60,590 units), an improvement of 20.8 percent over 2017.

In addition to that, around 10 percent of the cars sold in Norway were plug-in hybrids, raising the percentage of new electrified vehicles in the country to over 40 percent.

Norway has been heavily subsiding the purchase of electric vehicles by excluding them from value added taxes, including purchase and import levies, as well as using toll roads, bus lane and city center parking for free.

H/T To Electrek!